Breathe
by Soul of Ashes
Summary: Lilia is alone. Rion is gone... now she is left only with the bitter shadow of the boy she once loved. Can they find a common ground? (Chapter 2 added!)
1. To Life

Author's Notes: This is a fanfic I started ages ago... and somehow it got hosted on another site... but since it was just sitting there, not being reviewed, I decided to chase after it and rewrite the storyline. It's my own story, I guarantee it... and if you want proof, note that "Sephy" was used... I'll even give the addy to the website... and I might even ask the person to take the fanfic down, since I think it's a load of crap... but should you want to read it... The title has changed.

Details about the story: This takes place after the game. There are VERY MANY MANY spoilers... I wanted an OC in here, and originally his name was Shiro or something like that.. which meant "third son" or something. In any event, the name will be different... but how they'll meet? I do not know. I appreciate feedback, yesh!!

**Breathe**

Lilia lay Rion's body down on the metal grate floor. There was no breath in his body. She couldn't even feel his presence anymore. It was gone. Rion was gone.

The shock had hit her several times during that long hour, just sitting, holding him, rocking him back and forth, hoping against all odds that somehow he may miraculously breathe once more. But that was the cold reality. He wasn't coming back. Not even for a pretty girl named Lilia.

She left him, her hands clasped over her heart tightly. She just stood still, breathing unevenly until she turned and darted out of the room, down the narrow strip of crimson hallways and dark secrets. She burst through into the next room and fell to the floor in tears.

It's funny... she hadn't cried that whole time, holding Rion, but now that she couldn't see him, couldn't touch him, it seemed he was so utterly gone. She beat her hands in a sudden rage, but there was hardly strength left in her to do much. She screamed and wailed and beat on the floor so hard she thought she'd broken her hands. 

What had she to live for? Where would she go? 

The questions of her fate made short work of Lilia's emotional strength. She's been this strong so far, but now she simply couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't.

Rion was gone.

Long minutes went by, after she lay there quite exhausted. She sniffled, and lifted her eyes, and instantly it occured to her something wasn't right. She couldn't quite explain it, but...

Cain. 

In her misery, she failed to notice that his body was gone. Where was he? 

She sat up, instantly, and then slowly rose to her wobbly legs, peering around the room. She saw blood on the floor, a trail of it, not a big trail but... enough for her to see that it was leading somewhere. She bit her lip, her heart racing. Cain was still alive?

Part of her was afraid, and part of her was elated. She wasn't really alone. But Cain just might be dying somewhere.

She followed the trail to the shooter, where it sent her back down all the way to the 1st floor. The trail led then to the exit. She followed it, and outside the sky was clear. The rain had disappeared, but the mist had a bright yellow look to it. She hated it, as beautiful as everything was. It was as if the world was celebrating, all but those who were on the losing side, and Lilia. 

What's to celebrate if you don't have anyone to celebrate with?

It was harder to follow the trail. How far had Cain gone? The moisture in the air kept the blood from fading. She followed down the street, under the fading street lights. The sun was coming up, casting a buttery gleam on everything... buildings, people, the mist. Even the blood looked beautiful.

Lilia went on, and the trail stopped, but continued in an alley. She stepped into the alley, slowly, her shoes clicking on the ground. She peered around, her honey-colored eyes adjusting to this alcove of darkness. "...Cain... A-Are you here...?"

The darkness hid the evil twin well. He made a noise, in his throat, between a growl and a moan of pain, as though trying to sound threatening was too hurtful. His voice came from the shadows, dark as burning chocolate fudge. "S-So it's the hero's girlfriend... how sweet..come to finish me off...?"

Lilia swallowed, and shook her head. "N-No, I'm not coming to kill you off. I don't have that kind of power. Mine is neutral... It doesn't do a lot.. but it does help..." She strained to see. "P-Please come out..."

For a second, the blob of darkness called Cain didn't move. Then he slid out from his hiding place, into the light that spilled in from the mouth of the alley. His pale skin was even more so, from the loss of blood. The blood stained bright against the side of his face. His eyes, once so brilliant at least an hour before, were now dulled, faded. Lilia didn't need to be a doctor to know he was bleeding to death. And how close was he to short-circuiting his brain? 

"There...that..better?" he asked, a sneer to his voice, so much... like Rion's. But there was so much pain it. Defeated. He was beaten back, submissive. He narrowed his eyes suddenly. "...Why isn't..Rion with you? Did he die... just as I sensed his presence disappear..?"

Lilia nodded. She began to relax a little bit. She went forward though. She knew in her mind she had to help him. Cain didn't move, but remained slouched over slightly in the darkness. His hand was pressed against his head, and blood stained his fingers and his hair. He seemed so pitiful, it was a shock to even look at him. He suddenly drew back as she reached out with a handkercheif to wipe the blood away from his face. He hissed at her. "Why are you helping me!? You're the one who killed mother! Because of you, I...I'm....."

"Don't you care about anyone else but yourself!? I didn't want anyone to die! I never wanted to be part of this! But I had to! What choice did I have? It wouldn't be right if I was selfish and decided to run away! And I couldn't let Rion down....." She sounded angry, and defended herself verbally and mentally. But he didn't have that strength, she realized. He couldn't harm a fly even if he tried. "I feel responsible... for everything. I don't like it when people die. Even if you were born from Dorothy, you're still people. And why did you come out here? Look at you... I want to help you... Because if you die, too, I.....I don't know what I....." 

Lilia trailed off. She couldn't continue without crying. She could feel the tears burning in her tearducts to come out, but she blinked them back and reached out to clean the blood from his face. She felt so terrible for him. "You need to go to a hospital..." 

"NO! I will not!!" he shouted suddenly. He skittered back, but he backed into a trash can and knocked it over, and he fell down with it. He cried out, and held his head slightly. Lilia instantly went to him, and cradled him. "I know some people who will help you... You don't have to go to a hospital. But I know some people who are honest-to-goodness nice who will help you... okay? Just..please..don't die..." 

He nodded his head, and fell silent, though he was still alive. For a moment, she thought she saw his eyes brighten, but then he closed them and fell unconscious.

Evening fell like a warm blanket over the weary, relieved city of Michelangelo. Yet, despite the stillness that came with it, people worked very busily in the Marion apartment building on Corelle Street. On the 12th floor, two figures were speaking in the hall outside one of the rooms. 

"--pretty far gone."

"Do you think he's going to make it?"

"I'm not sure. Lilia said he was bleeding to death. But for some reason, he's not dying yet. We gave him a transfusion, and for now he's just sleeping."

"He's getting along okay, then?" 

"Yes. He's fine. Lilia hasn't got a wink of sleep. Poor girl... I can't help but wonder if she's gotten a wink of sleep or even a bite to eat last time we saw her, 2 weeks ago."

"I should go check on Lilia..." 

"No, man. Let her be. She needs to be alone right now..."

The voices trailed away, and meanwhile, in the apartment, in the best bedroom, Lilia was laying on the large queen-sized bed, next to an unconscious Rion look-alike. You wouldn't know it was Cain, because his eyes were green, not blue. But his eyes were closed. Lilia dozed on and off, never ever leaving his side. For some reason, she felt so safe, so secure next to him, even if it wasn't Rion. And Cain was a victim. All the Galerians were victims here. Even the ones that were so evil that there was no turning back to good, if they had any good in them. 

The lamp next to her was on a soft setting, so that Cain could sleep without that blinding light. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, to allow the cuts on his head to heal. He looked so terribly peaceful; like the peace that comes with death, he was still, and his breathing was very slow and very discreet.

Lilia reached up a pale slender hand and brushed a piece of hair out of Cain's face. Her heart was pounding. She just didn't... have any idea what to do with him. 

Suddenly he murmured, and like an angel ressurrected from the death, with the breath of God in his lungs, he opened his eyes. He could only see out of one, since the other was covered partially with bandage. His one green eye focused, and he slowly took in his surroundings. Then he gazed at Lilia, blinking as he struggled to see her better. Then his thin pale lips twisted into a cold sneer. 

"...So you did end up helping me after all..." 

Lilia swallowed, and nodded. She smiled. She found it getting easier to smile, but now when he gazed at her like that, she felt the hate just pouring out from that one eye. "Yes..."

"I was hoping that I wouldn't wake up..." 

"Don't speak like that! I saved your life! Whether you like it or not, I couldn't let you die..."

"Why?" Cain demanded in a low voice. "You think you save me, it makes it all better? Make you feel good about yourself again? And when I'm better, what then? Why don't we pretend I'm Rion... tell me, you think a ... a thing like me is capable of love? After all that's happened?" He forced out a hoarse laugh. "Sure, sure... you loved Rion... and he's dead now... but don't try to stuff me into that place left in your heart. I won't fill it!"

Lilia's throat temporarily constricted. For a second, she couldn't speak. Then, tears in her eyes, she spat the words out. "What makes you think I love you? Cuz I don't! I don't blame you for Rion's death! I only blame my parents! But I don't hate them either! I don't hate you! Don't try to make me!!"

"You should," Cain insisted in a growl. He rolled his eyes up toward the ceiling, gazing up at it. He closed his eyes and he seemed to be catching his breath. When he could continue, his misery echoed in his voice. "Denial is so evident in you. You don't love me..but you don't hate me. Why are you so upset, Lilia Pascelle?" 

"I don't want to see anymore death... Damnit, but Cain, why are you doing this to me? You're dissecting me and I hate it!"

Cain said nothing else. He opened his eyes, and stared at the ceiling with just his one. He smiled slightly, a lazy, tired smile. "Don't you cry for me, Lilia... I'm sure Rion wouldn't want you to cry for him either... Some people are happier dead. And I'm not going to die. It's obvious you won't let me. But I should hope you'll let me sleep." He paused, wetting his lips, then he reached up weakly and touched two fingers to her lips. "So quit your blubbering and be quiet... I'm going back to sleep."

Three days later, Cain woke once more to find food for him, set aside on a tray on the large bed. He sat up, and felt his head, which still had a bandage around it, but it was a smaller bandage. His eyes carefully explored his surroundings, now that he could see by the strengthening daylight. It was a nice room, with soft wood furnishings. You don't find those often in such a high-tech city like Michelangelo City. It gave him the impression that this building was on the fringe of town, built by humans, and humans lived in it. 

He began to pick at his food. He was alone, but he could discern voices on the other side of the door. Must be playing poker or something. He heard the jingle of coins, and felt a stab of loneliness. He couldn't help but wonder who they were, and where Lilia was.

Lilia......?

Cain?

"Wh--... you again? Where are you? If you want to talk to me, come into my room... my head hurts from your telepathy!"

I'm...I'm sorry... 

He waited, while he picked at his egg and ham sandwich. He didn't know what it was, of course, but then again, he never ate regular human food before. But it was good, and he found himself wanting more once he ate the entire thing. 

The sunlight spilled like golden honey into the room. He found himself growing bored quickly. He wanted to move. But his head hurt every time he moved too much or too fast. He realized his clothes were gone, except for a pair of pants he didn't even recognize as his own. Someone must have changed them. Damnit! He hates being unconscious - who knows what people might have done to him?

He pushed his tray aside. Suddenly, his door cracked open, and Lilia's soft voice came to greet him. "...Are you decent?" 

What kind of question was that? Maybe she wasn't there when they changed his clothes. She probably thought he was naked. He was sitting up, and his chest was bare. "Well, yeah... I've got pants on. That's enough for now, right?"

Lilia agreed and she came into the room, wearing fresh, new-looking clothes. She wore a soft blue dress, and a navy blue wool coat over that, with boots. She smiled when she saw him, and she seemed relieved that he was moving about better. She walked over to him, and held out a brown paper bag. Smile unfaltering, she spoke, her voice cheery, no trace of tears on her face at all. She seemed to look much more healthy. 

"Present for you!"

He took it, slowly, with suspicion. He peered into the bag, and gave a light cry of alarm. He dropped the bag into his lap. "Where did you get this? It smells good... w-what is it?"

"It's a brownie. What, did you think it was a piece of crap?" 

"...Yeah..." 

Lilia covered her mouth, smirking a little. "Silly...!!"

He began to eat up the brownie with a ravenous hunger, his green eyes glaring at her as he protected the brownie possessively. Lilia thought he looked kind of ridiculous. She then produced a larger, white bag that read "Matron" on it. She put it on the bed and took off her coat, holding it over her arm. 

Cain eyed the bag, somewhat tiredly. "No more food.. please--"

"No, no!" Lilia interrupted, shaking her head. "Just look. I bought them for you. Your other clothes were torn and just about falling off of you by the time I brought you here."

As Lilia explained, Cain took hold of the bag and pulled out a few boxes, which contained two pairs of pants, three pairs of T. shirts, and a black leather jacket, also with a box of shoes. All black. Figuring that he liked the coloar, which he did. Smart girl, he thought.

Cain's eyes turned toward her, and he smiled. "Thank you..."

Silence.

Cain cleared his throat. "...Can I get changed?" 

"Oh!" Lilia nodded, and hurried to go out of the room. "Yes, yes... I'll just be outside the door. Take your time." 

Three minutes later, Cain came out of the room, looking snazzy in his new apparel. He moved around a bit in his clothes. Then he looked at Lilia who was watching the three men play poker around the living room table. 

"How'd you know what size I wore, Lilia? Did you use your accursed power, hm?" Cain sneered slightly, looking toward Lilia with a mocking grin.

Lilia stole a look at him. "Yes... Actually, I did. And there's nothing wrong with using my power like that. I'm not hurting anyone."

Cain went 'hmph' to himself, then he leaned against the doorway. "What am I to do now? You going to set me free now? Or keep me a prisoner and feed me brownies and... whatever that was before, for the rest of my miserable days?"

The young girl blushed slightly, as she fought her embarassment. "I'm not sure what to do right now. Dorothy is dead... and so is Rion... I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stay here for very long. I think I may have relatives in Michelangelo City, but I don't want to stay here. I have so many horrible memories in this place..."

"I think I understand. I, too, have so many memories I wish I could bury. There's nothing for me here now... or anywhere, as a matter of fact."

"So where will we go?"

"Damned if I know."

"Let's steal a train to Seleria!"

Cain blinked, looking at Lilia, her out-burst so startling and unpredictable that he didn't know what to say for a few seconds. Then he burst out laughing, cackling so hard he thought his head might burst open again. "Good God, Lilia! What did you just say!?"

"I don't have any more money. I only borrowed some from my friends here. So we'll have to be stowaways."

"Excuse me... 'we'? Since when was I a part of this? You ever considered that I might have my own agenda?"

"Well, what do you have in mind, Mr. Bitter-And-Confused?! You have no friends or family. Like it or not, all you have is me now. And you're stuck with me." With that, Lilia pulled her coat on and went toward the door, calling over her shoulder to the three men playing poker. "I'm leaving now, Uncle Darl. You probably won't see me again, but I just wanted to thank you for being so kind to me!"

Cain's eyes seemed to gleam a bit from slight anger. He knew she was right. There was no one else but him and Lilia. This strange young girl who had brought him in and made him better. She seemed determined to shine him up so he'd sparkle like a new dime. What else was there to say? Fate had dealt him a decent hand of cards; who was he to deny the luck he's had so far?

At the trainstation, the large clock struck noon. Cain snuck along behind Lilia who led the way. She obviously seemed to know her way around quite well. They took the darker parts of the trainstation to reach their destination. Lilia had found a train for them that would take them to Seleria, and it left at 12:15. It took time for the people to check the cars, and make sure the passenger's pass-ports were valid. It only was a matter of waiting until the right moment to jump on the train, just before it would move off. 

Trains of this day and age were high-tech, yet still there were plenty of ways to stow yourself away on one. Underneath each individual car, there was a platform, enough for small children like Lilia or Cain to slide onto. Then, above that, on the floor of the train there was a metal plate that was bolted to the bottom of the car. The plan was to slide underneath, and Cain would then demonstrate his psychic abilities by the simple task of unscrewing the bolts, and moving the plate out of the way, allowing them access into the car above.

Cain crouched close to Lilia, watching the train from the shadows of a little niche in a wall somewhere. He had already discarded his bag for a decent bagpack just lying in the street on the way here. Lilia checked the large clock up on the wall behind them, until she pulled on Cain's sleeve. She whispered to him, her warm breath fanning against his cheek. 

"It's time. Let's go!"

They made across the platform toward the car they had chosen, like two cats in the darkness. It was shaded and cool in the train station, and there weren't many people leaving Michelangelo City, but the darkness was enough so they could get past without detection. 

Lilia went first, and then Cain. She moved over, allowing him some room. He searched for the plate, then he reached out his hand toward it, and all the screws at once began to unscrew. Suddenly a loud HISS exploded near them, and Lilia nearly cried out, had Cain not reached over to cover her mouth. Then he continued to unscrew the bolts, until they dropped out, one by one. Then he blew the plate away from the floor.

"Go. Up." He pointed, barely audible over the sudden noise that the train started to create. He slid over, and Lilia crawled her way up through the narrow square hole in the floor, then she reached down a hand to help him up as well.

They sat, crouching and shivering, while the noise went on. They felt the sudden jerk of the train, and instantly Cain was relieved. He sagged against a crate near him, and closed his eyes. 

"Thank God... I thought we might have been caught," he breathed.

"Nonsense. I've done this many times before... except I had to unscrew the bolts the hard way." She flashed him a smile, and he grinned back, although he was now uncertain. 

He could only go where the rails of this train would take him. Fate gave him this wonderful, strange girl, yet at the same time stolen away his only family. Now where would his meaningless life lead? As a child of a machine, what could this world possibly have to offer him now?


	2. Learning How to Deal

My Notes: A longer chapter, I think! I wasn't expecting to rewrite the damn story.. but this is what happens when I get obsessed with Cain and Rion. The last story I wrote was sort of choppy anyway, because I was younger... I wrote on a day-by-day instant basis... and I wasn't satisfied with the result... besides, who is ever satisfied with stuff they wrote when they were kids? I'm not. And I'm making Kairi less of a 'damsel' and into the chick that she should be! Tough, sort of independent when she's safe in someone else's company.

Enough chit-chat. This chapter takes place in or around a train. And it's entitled as such.

------------------

**Would you, could you...?**

Watching Lilia sleep gave Cain a lot of time to think. Too much time to worry about things that shouldn't be bothering him. But they were indeed. Life was too complex now to let him sleep in peace. And he wasn't tired. Light moved in quick, rhythmic flashes that flew by, sometimes all white or yellow and sometimes it was red. It gave him headaches but he kept his eyes open to keep his gaze on the sleeping lady.

As he thought, he realized he gave far too much credit to God now. Favors did not come from Dorothy anymore. He didn't need her to live. That in itself was disturbing... he had always depended on her to tell him what to do with himself. But it wasn't the case anymore, and now if he really needed anything he could ask Lilia. But was he ready to hand over such dependence to a human?

I'm too full of pride, he thought. I must become less like that old worthless creature I was and better myself somehow. But what the hell am I supposed to do with myself? What kind of world is there for me in Seleria? What kind of friend will Lilia be? Is she going to leave me? Or does she see too much Rion in me?

_I'm not unhappy that she does. But it bothers me. Once she knows what I can become... she'll leave me. And I'll be alone._

He kept his eyes on Lilia the whole ride through. And during the long night, he took off his coat for her, and he tossed it over her slim body as the chill became stronger. It was going to be winter soon, he thought. He measured the temperature and found it to be just above 40 degrees, but at the speed they traveled it was somewhere around freezing.

Cain curled up close to her. There wasn't much to cuddle up to but her. And it felt right. It would make Lilia happy, too. He closed his eyes, breathing evenly, trying to ward off the chill by staying small, exposing as little of his body surface as possible.

When the light became more constant, and he felt the temperature rise in his sleep, he came out of his rest and blinked against the light. Lilia was shaking him, too. How did she wake so quickly?

"I must have gotten to sleep too late," he muttered, his voice sounding too low to be his. "What is it?"

She rubbed her eyes, holding out his jacket to him. He slipped it on and felt her warmth in it. He kept looking at her, somehow finding the sunlight amazing on the skin. And at first he couldn't believe that it was sunlight, because he'd never quite seen it before... but there it was again, on her skin and in her hair, making everything glow.

"What are you looking at?" she said, blushing. "I heard the train announcer say something about Seleria. You were waking up the minute I tried to get you to open your eyes. You looked kind of restless, too, so I figured..."

"It's alright." He paused, rubbing his eyes with his hands. "What's the time?"

"Dunno. But we'd bet get off this thing fast, or the baggage checkers will see us."

Cain surmised it would happen like that. From now on it was going to be dangerous. This wasn't where he could walk the streets unnoticed by police. Without some effort he stood up, disoriented as the speed at which they traveled began to decrease. Leaning against a crate with one hand, he used the other, touching his forehead lightly and cursing, he outstretched the same hand to the wall and tried to 'scry' what was beyond.

The landscape was whirling by at a phenomenal rate, green and gray and blue sky shredded into two seperate extremes, blue and green occasionally broken by a power line pole. He shook his head and stood back a little nauseated.

"Maybe not the most intelligent thing to do," he mumbled weakly. Then he shuffled on over to the forward end of the car, pushed his hand against it, and saw the next car's windows. There were people. They were mostly seated, shuffling about as he had done, picking up their things and getting ready to get off. The visions came to him in short, quick snap-shots. Everything went in a second-by-second sequence, as he sent out a probe every second.

"Do you see any guards?"

Lilia's voice came next to his ear. She sounded miles away. He blinked out and shook his head. "They're probably waiting on the platform. What if we can't get around them?" Something in him felt a pang, as if his stomach had unleashed a cage of moths and they beat all of their powdery wings in unison with his heartbeat.

If it came down to violence, could she let Cain hurt anyone? Just a little, so they can make a run for it? What if they had to kill someone? His hands dove into his pant pockets and he let his head hang a little. "I won't hurt them much if I can help it. Unless you want to bludgeon them over the head with something."

Lilia chewed her lip. She tore her eyes from his shadowed face and looked to the door. The train was lurching along, the breaks squealing and cawing like a wounded monstrosity. Granted, it was a very pretty train... but at this moment she couldn't wait to get the hell off of it.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Let's get that manhole thing off of there. I don't want to be the one to get spotted," she replied softly. "Hurry!"

Once the train stopped, he started to work. In less than a minute he pulled the covering from the floor again and slipped down, holding onto the metal edge with his hands as he sat on the under-carriage tray where they'd been before. He scooted over for her, before he started to crawl toward the edge. He saw and felt the many feet striding past. Hopefully due to their slight cover that they could slip into the stream of passengers unnoticed. His new clothes still looked new, if not a bit crumpled.

He took her hand. It was cold and slightly sweaty, and he could sense by touch that she was a little nervous. He crouched in the dirt by the tracks, behind about three and a half feet of concrete, where above them on the platform there were people walking. From farther up, train breaks hissed air and nearly scared the shit out of Lilia. He hugged her around the shoulders with one arm, keeping her body still. Once there was some kind of lull, he immediately pushed her up the concrete wall, whispering to her to hurry.

She pulled him up, and they stood in the busy, noisy throng of passengers as dozens disbanded into their own directions. Young people, old people. Their clothes were quite modern, exquisitely clean and Cain stood entranced for a moment, stuck with the vision of prosperity before his eyes. There were at least seven food courts within his sight as he stood, with Lilia standing and shaking by his side. She held onto his arm, before she began to pull him away.

"I don't have that much money," she said to him. "But we can get something to eat for breakfast over here." She took him to a small cafe area, elevated about a foot above the platform floor, separated from the boarding area by a tall glass wall that, in fact, displayed commercials and the news on its glassy surface, so that it could be viewed from both sides correctly. But the volume was blessedly low, and the jargon of voices was only a slight distraction.

She sat down at a tiny circular table that hovered above the floor at a respectable height. Directly below it was a glowing plate that was drilled into the floor, humming softly. When Cain pressed his hands onto the table, it didn't budge and inch. When he put his feet across the invisible 'beam', the table top was still undisturbed and he felt nothing.

"Cool, aren't they?" Lilia whispered, leaning across the table. She moved her hands back and forth the underside of the fixture. "This way people can put their stuff under the table without worrying about the legs."

Cain watched her get up again, moving over to the counter. She stuffed coins into the receiver and punched a few buttons. A minute later food dropped down into the chest-height slot and she pulled out two equal sized packages and a pair of twelve ounce cups.

"What is this?" Cain demanded, wrinkling his nose. But after his encounter with chocolate brownies, he wasn't entirely unwilling to eat what she gave him. "Is it good?"

"Sure is!! That's coffee. It's probably still hot, so you'd better wait awhile. I don't trust the machines." Her eyes then cast downward, recounting her words silently. Quietly she tore open the paper-wrapped package and Cain followed her example.

It was a giant vegetarian burger, complete with pickles, tomatoes and lettuce as well as a tangy bright sauce that made him do a double-take as he took his first tentative bite. After he'd taken his fifth, he was readily munching and sawing through the burger with a voracious appetite.

"Nothing surprises you," the girl told him, shaking her head as he sloppily wiped his mouth and grinned at her.

Before they finished eating, Lilia counted her change and mumbled to herself as she did, rubbing her temple. He watched her fingers knead into the side of her face slightly, rubbing against her skin as if looking to pin something down that was bothering her under her flesh. But it eluded her, it seemed, for she didn't stop rubbing until she finally scooped up her credits and dumped them into her purse again.

"Alright," she said. "I've got to go to the bathroom." She stood up... and sat down again.

Cain crumpled his sandwich paper, tossed it into a trash receptacle. "Lilia?"

She held her head in her hands. Something was extremely wrong. He could feel the pressure of it inside his head. Something kept wanting his attention, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl. "...don't feel good..."

He caught her as she slid out of her chair. He sat on the floor, holding onto her and looking around franticly, extremely confused. How did he get himself into this situation? And what was wrong with Lilia?!

He opted to get up, holding her to him, forgetting their drinks and walking to the bathroom. The glass walls garbled at him with offers of painkillers, a faster car, a prettier woman. He ignored them all, only to stop and sit outside the train station itself on a bench where the air smelled clearer.

"Are you two alright?" said a man. He stood nearby, totally invisible from Cain's perspective. He turned, staring at him. He had white hair and wore a pair of shades that covered his eyes, and sported a high-collared jacket that fell to his knees. Hunched shoulders, pocketed hands, everything about him was covert except for his face, which smiled amiably.

"Is she sick?" the man went on kindly.

"Yeah, but she'll be fine. So leave us alone." Cain fumbled, his hand twitching to reach out a bit and scan, feeling himself growing cooler as a cloud passed over the glittering sun.

"Well... that's alright, but if it's medication you're looking for, I know where you can get some. I think she's gotten a little motion sickness, it looks like." He pushed away from the glass wall, where a busty brunette woman was wearing a bikini and holding up a bottle of dieting pills, then took one from it and popped it right there on the screen into her mouth.

"What do you know? I said leave us the fuck alone," Cain repeated sternly, his neck tingling slightly. His brows knit together as he harshly looked upon the stranger with little more than contempt. "I don't want your medicine, it'd make me sick and it makes me sick looking at you, so go away."

And the man went. In fact he pushed away into the stream of passengers emerging into the muffled sunlight and vanished. Cain turned to Lilia, gingerly pushing her hair out of her face. "Are you okay now? What's wrong?"

"I just have... a really bad headache, that's all," she mumbled. "I think I slept wrong... I'll be fine. Now... we've got to go find a place to sleep..." She pushed him back and stood up, hugging herself as her glazed eyes squinted at her surroundings. And she sat down again with a thump. "Screw this," she resigned with a sigh.

Then, against all reason, she started to cry uncontrollably.

Cain was even more stunned and three times as helpless as before. She cried until her eyes were pinkish and puffy, cried until she couldn't get her breath. She was practically gagging on her own tears and it took a great deal of effort for Cain to even think of reaching out to bring her a bit closer to his side.

"Um... why are you crying?" he whispered softly, trying to indicate his concern that was more than half confusion. And maybe a little agitation.

"You don't understand," she told him, not blind to his inhuman thought-processes. "It's Rion. I...I just can't get him out of my head, you understand? I mean... he was only dead just days ago and... suddenly I'm running around a new city with YOU, and... I should still be pissed at you."

Her shoulders heaved with a very, very deep breath that could have sunk the train station into the earth. "But I'm not...and... should I feel ashamed of myself or what? I don't know..."

"That's alright," Cain replied, relaxing into something he hoped was as honest as could be. "I don't know what to do either. You can see how lost I am in this hateful place, surrounded by people I was built to destroy. But this place is... is nice. Come with me. I think I can take away your pain, if you let me."

She raised her eyes to his. What color were they? He wondered. He wasn't sure... but they were mixed with green and brown and something in between. An intriguing set of peepers, he thought privately. And how they were shining now, with tears. Something in him wanted to make them go away. Those very tears made him ache with a desperate longing to make something 'better'.

"I'll carry you," he added in a hoarse whisper. "Come with me."

"Sure," Lilia murmured. She touched his hand, and let him bring his arms up under hers, around her chest carefully. It wasn't hard to do. She was as light as a bird, and helping her walk was no hard task at all. He cast out his telepathic nets, and reeled them in with information from adjacent computers about hotels and even stay-over homes that were paid by the government to take in homeless for one night and day, and were equipped to do so.

The only problem was it was broad daylight and he was inclined to try to avoid people as much as possible. But they were _everywhere! _ Multitudes of black and white and in-betweens, faces and eyes of every color and bodies of every conceivable height and shape. He shut his eyes so tightly that he just searched by psy-sight alone. It wasn't perfectly safe, but it got him to the doorstep of someone's home quickly enough.

There was nobody home. It was more aggravating than anything. The next house over was a block away and he didn't feel like walking that distance. There weren't too many people here now. And what's a little 'magic' to get the door open and just sleep on the couch? If they made a mess, it could be cleaned. Besides, this place was 'made' for guests to sleep in.

He popped the door and slipped inside. It was sweetly cool inside. It was styled after the old homes of the 20th century, something like the Adirondacks. There were three couches, built into the corners and walls of the rooms, piled with dark forest green pillows and off-white cover blankets that, when Cain saw them, induced in him a sort of dreamy dazed look in his eyes.

He led Kairi to one. She smiled at him, curling up with her arms lined up against her chest, her hands near her chin as she closed her eyes. Dear god, he thought. It's a damn bed, not a couch! She positively sank into the pillows and half-vanished altogether.

The walls felt like authentic wooden logs, when the building's exterior was as modern as the rest. He touched the walls lightly, testing them with his mind, and sensing that they were indeed at least semi-real, he felt the sort of lab-grown echoes in the trees' past. It was sad, that trees could be grown in labs instead of where they ought to.

The kitchen was also sort of primitive. It made him slightly uneasy. He stood in the threshold to the kitchen, where it had a center island with as much free workspace as could be, made of hard, shining pink and black-swirled marble. The hardwood floor creaked as he walked across it to the other end of the room. A large modern fridge stood against the wall beside the washers and food depositors. All of them had the same marble tops on the top. And something else, too, which was an almost outdated kitchen fixture was the sink.

It was, no doubt, so simple to handle that he was almost appallingly confused by it. As soon as he figured out the little knobs, he watched the water spill clear and crystalline into the drain, where it was recycled by the home's water system.

He couldn't fix himself a sandwich, and he wouldn't bother Lilia at all to make him one. Something about food made curious to try things, though. He had no idea what these things were, so he tasted them a little bit at time, eating a little bit of as much as he could, until he was sick to his stomach with too much different tastes. He flushed this away with a tall glass of cold water, and then retreated back into the living room.

Lilia was still asleep in the large wall-couch, with its mattress underneath and wooden edges. Photographs of the family lined the frozen hearth, where no fire was burning. It wasn't even nightfall, but he was tired. He sat on the edge of the couch, picking at the covers while gazing steadily at Lilia's sleeping face.

Then, thinking that her shoes must be damned uncomfortable by now, he reached to her feet and took them off. He set them against the wall nearby and fidgeted with his own footwear, putting them next to hers.

He positioned himself by her carefully. She was probably not quite asleep yet, but he made a promise and he was going to fulfill it, awake girl or not. He kept close to her back, lifting his hand to her hair and stroking it, uncertain. He'd never used much of his powers to enthuse positive stuff into someone. "Stuff" was generally the word he used for his power.

He soothed her hair down, for it was sticking up rather ridiculously. His fingers tingled, letting his thoughts travel down through his body, across his shoulders and his arms. The sound of it was what made him smile a little bit. It made him think about those life-monitor machines they put him on when he was going to die, when Mother would coo at him and whisper him back to life when all he wanted was to fall asleep.

These were not good things to be thinking.

"Goodnight, Lilia," he murmured. He leaned close, green eyes traveling over her face. He saw the line of silver tears that were forming. Her headache was gone, smothered by a soft infusion of the psion's power. "I wish I could know how you felt, so you wouldn't have to cry for him anymore."


	3. Keisuke and Yui

-Author's Notes: I'm well aware that Cain "exploded" during the end of the game. But for the sake of this fanfic, I say he didn't. No more people complaining to me about it, okay? I mean, I know there was only one under the name "Fact" and his little insidious comment. But that's it. Nitpicky! Reow.-

Lilia dissolved into the water like a cube of sugar. She felt that if she were any better at being what she was - a semi-talented psychic girl - she 'could' vanish into the water, mingling with a trillion molecular pieces and bumping negatives and positives together. She imagined her fingers to extend farther into the water, separating into pathways. Breaking apart. She tried to forget that she wasn't melting, but it didn't work.

_Rion..._

Her body was clean. After a shower, she filled the tub because her body was sore and her head was aching, not to mention the uncomfortable agony dominating the majority of her lower abdomen. She didn't want to confuse Cain - her period wasn't something she liked to bring up with people, especially if they're not precisely human. Regardless if he was programmed with that kind of information, the young lady still thought it didn't... ring correctly to tell him she was suffering from an acute case of PMS.

There weren't many painkillers in the bathroom. It took some doing to dig up some Midela, and she waited in the soothing, steaming heat of the water and dim darkness of the bathroom to allow the medicine to work while she drifted.

She stared at her toes, wiggling them as they stuck up above the water. Her toes were pruned, small wrinkles extending around to her toenails. A list of the things she needed to do while Cain continued to sleep ran through her head, as well as how she got up that morning.

Pains in her head and stomach woke her. So she retreated to the bathroom and spent an uncomfortable hour trying to look for painkillers, feminine products, bent in agony, while also trying not to throw up and pass out on the floor.

A few minutes later, the shower was running and she had popped about four Midela. They were starting to work just then, when she sat up slowly and unplugged the porcelain tub. Another bout of cleansing, some fresh change of clothes from the bedroom, and she was ready to face the world with a bottle of over-the-counter medication in her shirt pocket.

Cain hadn't moved much since she felt him lay down that evening. He'd whispered something as she fell off to sleep, his amazingly gentle hands in her hair, massaging, soothing, injecting the good feeling into her mind, until he also fell asleep. Aside from his arms, which lay stretched out before him in a subservient manner, he still lay in that position, one leg bent forward and the other stretched out with the foot hanging over the edge of the queen-sized couch/bed.

She pulled his leg up with the other one, and tucked his arms in close, fetal position. "Silly boy" Lilia uttered, stretching out on her back a few inches away. The idea of cooking entered her mind a few heartbeats later, and she was up again, the dull ache in her body encouraging her to move around and do something.

-

Cain found himself floating in a realm of water. It soothed his aching nerves and stilled his savage thoughts, assuaging emotions of hatred and betrayal and most of all, loneliness. When he woke again, he was comfortable and warm; a salty smell, not unlike cooking meat, floated through the air and made his stomach complain. He rolled over and yawned at the ceiling, then stretched out his limbs. He missed the sensation of liquid around his body. Suddenly he sat up and held his head in agony.

Was there any indication of medicine in this house at all? For, unless his mind decieved him, was he not just now experiencing the preliminary pulsing of a short-out? He gave a low growl and let himself wander around the living room, hoping maybe to walk it off. His eyes began to water, and squinting didn't ease the torture behind his eyes. Oh, well.

"Cain" Lilia stopped with two plates in the doorway to the kitchen. She set them both down on the coffee table and walked over to him. "Come here" she said, brushing his fingers away from his head. "Sit." She sat him down. There was no bartering with her about anything she told him to do. Eventually she disappeared beyond his sight and returned. "I found these. Are they alright"

Cain managed to open his eyes wide enough to read the letters and see the color. He nodded and popped one into his mouth, shuddering as it slid painfully down his throat. Steadily the symptoms receded, leaving him tired and sore. "Thanks. Where the hell did you find those"

"In a box in the back room. I don't know why they're there..."

"Maybe people expect Galerians like me to take up residence in a place like this" Cain replied, grinning a little bit as he massaged his temples. Nothing felt worse than shorting out... not even Cain was insusceptible to that torment. He sighed and took one of the plates. He took a sniff and looked at her, arching a brow. "...Did you make all this"

"Sure. Those right there are potatoes, all mashed up. That's bacon. And this is salad with ranch dressing. Try a little of everything... and if you don't like it, I'll just make you a bowl of grain cereal."

Cain had no idea what she was talking about. But since everything looked and smelled good, he decided to experiment. The potatoes tasted... well, buttery. He knew what butter was - it was next to his most favorite thing in the world to eat. He could have used more on the potatoes, but it was alright. The bacon was crunchy, salty. It made his mouth explode with saliva, and his eyes water again. He chewed and swallowed the piece, which was followed closely by another bite of potatoes.

Lilia sat with her legs tucked together, chewing her lip and smiling occasionally. Then she quietly ate her own food. He noticed there was more bacon on her plate. "Hey... how come you get more than me"

"I need it more than you do" she answered simply. "Please, now just eat."

After breakfast, Cain sat back against his chair and watched the news on their small TV set. Its old-fashioned appearance gave him pause to wonder if it was there just for looks, or if it actually worked. But he discovered after a brief inside look with his mind that it contained high-tech Crystal Image, Inc. technology that recieved outside image information from satellites around the world.

There was still news about the investigation concerning the explosion at Dorothy's resting place. About the strange puddles of blood on the floor. He shuddered, closing his eyes as the footage showed once more Rion's body. Lilia stopped him from shutting off the reciever.

"Stop" she murmured. "I want to see his body one last time." The last part came in a gasping whisper. Soon enough she was sobbing again, and Cain scooted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her. "God..." she moaned, burying her face in his shoulder, knotting her fingers in his shirt and gasping, silent sobs wracking her body.

When she was finished, Cain was feeling useless. How could he stop her from feeling like this"What can I do" he sighed, watching as she dabbed her eyes with the ends of her sleeves.

"You can't" she replied, taking a long look at him. "I appreciate how kind you've been, though. It helps. It does... but nothing can make me stop feeling sad about Rion, do you understand"

"Will you keep crying like this forever" the green-eyed boy ventured, looking away as though ashamed of the very question.

"No...I don't think so" Lilia smiled.

-

The pair walked the streets of Seleria, with Lilia in the bold lead. She showed Cain everything she could - from the coffee shops, to the very ends of the earth near the galley, where the ocean stretched on and on into the horizon. Cain was impressed with that. She was pleased, and continued to the mall to show him the stores and entertainment. She had enough money left over to see a movie with him, so they did. It wasn't graphic, but it was exciting. Not many movies in Seleria were graphic because the government thought that such films would desensitize the public; in the past, movies became so savage that people didn't appear to have any remorse whatsoever.

They sat in the middle; the film was about a group of boys coming to terms with the fact that none of them would make it to "pros". It was an oldie about baseball in the 2000's. Cain was fascinated by one boy's gothic clothes and easy manner of speaking. He resolved that maybe he'd try to act a bit more like him, at least. Or maybe just emulate his attire.

But his fascination could not last long in the enclosed theatre. About an hour into the film, Cain immediately sensed a volatile presence. It was in the theatre. The room was small. Rising in his seat a little, he peered around carefully, trying not to use his power lest it gain him unwanted notice.

"What's wrong" Lilia whispered. The ever-changing light on the screen made her face look bizarre. "Cain"

"Shh. We have to get out of here" he said, bending his head so she could hear. Then, very carefully, they tried to work their way around other moviegoers quietly - without success. They ended up disturbing nearly everyone in the the row, before they made their swift progress down the aisle to reach the doors marked "Exit".

A figure stepped into their path. The ragged coat he wore fell below his knees and brushed the backs of his leather-covered calves; a pair of duo-toned eyes stared at them from underneath the jacket hood. His hands hid in his pockets, his face a mask of total disgust as he regarded Cain.

The boy kept Lilia behind him, furious that they should be followed. "Who are you" he whispered angrily. "Get out of the way"

Lilia blinked, peering over Cain's shoulder as he bent himself slightly, his body crackling softly and ineffectively without his PEC's.

"You'll find out" the man said.

His expression glazed with a honey-coated smile, slowly bending at the knees and turning his body; his hands withdrew from their pockets. A zippo lighter flicked open, with the man's free hand behind it. The ignited flame exploded toward them in a bright, all-encompassing torch. Cain screamed - Lilia fell back - and he fell back on top of her. The man laughed, and the seats immediately caught on fire - as well as the people seated in them. Cain managed to escape the blaze by deflecting it with a quickly constructed shield that barely had enough time to keep his hair from getting singed.

The sounds and smells that resulted would haunt the two young teenagers for the rest of their lives. The man rose from the ground, his coat ruffling and flapping. The lighter-blaze exploded again, far above their heads, catching the red tapestries surrounding them ablaze. The film was gone. Flames were eating away at the screen, causing it to flicker and short-out.

Cain and Lilia crawled as fast as they could away from the horror. A woman on fire ran by screaming, the contents of her purse flying all over the place until she crashed into the chairs, rolling and wailing"Oh god please help me help me"

Cain couldn't shake the sensation of rage that filled him. He couldn't stop the fire; he hadn't the power. Nor the means, even if he did. He ran blindly through the mall beside Lilia, their hands clutching together so tight it made his fingers hurt when he let go. They stood outside in the cool air. Seagulls were screaming at the herecy of the act in the theatre - or perhaps at Cain's cowardice.

"Cain, your eyes" Lilia whispered, standing next to him in the full blaze of the Selerian sun.

"Shut up! I can sense him" Cain closed his eyes, a vein bulging in his temple, his eyes narrowing.

"You take too long" the man said from their left. His hood had fallen back, his two-toned eyes resting comfortably on the pair with the ease of a snake, confident of capturing his prey. "I'm right here..."

"Who the fuck are you" Cain spun around, once more shoving Lilia behind him. She growled and punched him in the arm, which he looked at her in shock for. "What the HELL did you do that for"

"Let me see his face" she growled, staring at him. "Answer him, who are you"

"Keisuke" the man answered. He produced the lighter magically from one of his pockets, and Cain sucked in his breath. "Don't worry" Keisuke continued, lighting a cigarette which appeared in the other hand. "I'm not burning anything else" he inhaled, and exhaled. "Except my lungs."

"What do you want from us" Cain watched the hypnotic flow of smoke into his mouth and out through his nose. The smell of the smoke was... intoxicating.

"You know you shouldn't smoke" said a girl flatly, standing near the garbage receptacle. She wore a short black skirt, a black button-up shirt with long sleeves, and a pair of knee-high boots. Her skin was nearly paper-white, dark eyeliner drawing out her even darker, intense eyes.

"I know, Yui. But you aren't my mother, and to add to that, I say, fuck you." He flicked ashes in her direction. "Are you going to help me with this or not"

Cain stiffened, staring at Yui as she gazed at him. Her hands crossed over her lap, and her gaze evenly met his without remorse. Then, slowly, Cain felt his eyes drooping. Lilia collapsed onto the ground to her knees before she tilted and fell onto her side. The last thing he heard was Kei's soft remark"Sleep well, Cain."


End file.
